But since we know it is Royce Gracie and he has backed up his **** many many times, then there is no need to ream him.

No that's not true. Bad technique is bad technique, no matter who is doing it. The fact that he has proven himself in MMA means he has the responsibility to put out products of high caliber. People see his picture or his name and automatically think, "if Royce does it this way it must be good" but his BJJ self-defense book already proved that to be false.

I'm sorry but I can't forgive him for how horrible the BJJ self-defense book was. There is no excuse for someone that we know, knows how to fight, to put out a product that bad. I'm not talking about production values and phyiscal quality of the book, those were actually quite high, but the content itself was crap.

When a person with a proven reptuation for fighting ability puts out a piece of **** like that, it is 1000 times worse than a when bullshido artist who believes his own hype does the same. Royce should know better.

wtf. if it was some no name making the book and not royce gracie he would get reamed here for that photo.

Right. Because everyone around here just GUSHES over the Self-Defense book, and the Rigan Machado book. Come on. Cut the bullshit.

Is that picture supposed to be a demonstration of "technique"? He has a tension band around his ankles, and the other guy is actually stabilizing him. He's exercising. Pull yer heads out of yer fourth points of contact.

Normally, I'd say I was grappling, but I was taking down and mounting people, and JFS has kindly informed us that takedowns and being mounted are neither grappling nor anti grappling, so I'm not sure what the **** I was doing. Maybe schroedinger's sparring, where it's neither grappling nor anti-grappling until somoene observes it and collapses the waveform, and then I RNC a cat to death.----fatherdog

I never said any product he puts his name to is beyond reproach, neither did anyone else..

I was commenting on the fact that while an unknown martial artist MAY get **** for the pose on the front cover, since its Royce Gracie and we are aware he knows how to fight, I don't give a **** what the picture looks like.

Fair enough, we all know it's not wise to judge a book by its cover. I agree that someone of Royce's credentials should usually be given the benefit of the doubt, but I've already been burned once and that reintroduces doubt for me. I likely won't be purchasing this book without a seeing a large amount of favorable reviews, or at least some extended prepurchase reading time at the book store.